President’s Letter | Spring 2021
The close of the academic year is a moment for our college community to both remember the ground we have covered and to look with positive anticipation at what lies ahead. With all that we have experienced over this past
YVC Celebrates Class of 2021
Yakima Valley College presented its 92nd Graduating Class on June 18, 2021 with an online, live-streamed event. The celebration included both photo and video submissions from graduates, and encouraging messages from faculty, staff and administrators. YVC's Choir performed a rendition
YVC Foundation honors Miguel Castro with Darlene Koch Classified Employee of the Year Award
Castro was born in Michoacán, Mexico and migrated to the United States at the age of 15 in pursuit of a better life. Castro, joined by his brothers and some friends, first arrived in California before deciding to move to
Gerard Dombrowski selected as this year’s Distinguished Alumnus
For many years, Gerard Dombrowski worked in construction trades. After overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, Dombrowski was ready for a new chapter in his life and turned to YVC for a fresh start. He completed an associate of applied science
Distinguished Service Award presented to Kwik Lok
Kwik Lok was founded by Floyd Paxton, an engineer who saw that packaging technologies were changing in the post-World War II period. In that first year, its unique closure system quickly became the preferred method for keeping bags of Washington
Emeritus Faculty Award presented to Bonnie Labbee
Bonnie Labbee was born on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation, at the Old Agency, now known as Eagle Butte, S.D. She is an enrolled member of her father’s tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Tribe (Lakota), and her mother was
Sherrie & Daryl Parker Faculty Award presented to Dan Peters
Dan Peters grew up in Selah, Wash., and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Willamette University and a master’s in literature from the University of Montana before returning to the Yakima Valley. Poetry and literature have been a theme
YVC Foundation honors Lisa Dominguez with Robert M. Leadon Excellence in Teaching Award
After graduating from A.C. Davis High School, Lisa Dominguez completed her associate degree from Yakima Valley College before earning a bachelor’s of fine and performing arts from Western Washington University (WWU). She later returned to the Yakima Valley to raise
Online learning extended through fall quarter 2021
This spring YVC made the decision to continue mostly online learning through fall quarter 2021. The decision is based on the state’s restrictions for institutions of higher education. “This is a decision that needs to be made now in order to
YVC launches #YaksVaxUp campaign to encourage vaccination against COVID-19
This spring Yakima Valley College collaborated with the Yakima Health District to offer mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics on the Yakima Campus. The clinics offered a convenient opportunity for students and staff to receive their vaccination in a comfortable and familiar